October 2006, Weight Loss Journal
Updated November 24, 2007
2 October 2006
Weight: 176 (lost 24 lbs.)
BMI: 32.19
176! How could I possibly be 176? I had the stomach flu most of last week. I barely ate, except...
I drank lots of liquids and consumed salty foods, and it's about that time of the month again. I do this every month, "Why? Why? Why? Oh yes, I forgot. PMS." I'm sure it will be down again next week. If not, I'll panic then.
I certainly haven't exercised enough this week. There's nothing like an upset digestive track to throw you off your routine. I'm doing better now, though, so I'm going to get back on course with my three mile walks and strength training.
9 October 2006
Weight: 176 (lost 24 lbs.)
BMI: 32.19
OK, time to panic. I've been weighing myself every day this week. 176. 176. Gasp! 175. Better. 174. Ahhh! 175. Eeek! ...And this morning...176. Damn! What happened to 174?
Two weeks ago I was down to 174 (with the occasional mid-week dip to 173). Then I got the stomach flu / intestinal flu / gastroenteritis (whatever you want to call it). I barely ate and spent most of the week on my couch. Then I got PMS, and the edema and munchies began. I've got those munchies under control now, but the exercise...
I barely exercised during this last week. (I think sitting on the couch when I was sick interrupted my momentum.) I did very little strength training, but the worst part is the walking. I'm having a hard time walking because it's getting dark so early now, so my walks have been getting shorter or not happening at all. It will just keep getting darker earlier and staying darker later until January. When I started doing my daily walk, I started in the middle of January, when it was starting to get a little lighter earlier every day. I walked in the morning before my husband went to work, so he could watch the kids. Now, though, my husband is leaving for work while it's still dark, and he comes home when it's dark. It's simply too dark to go out safely.
I go out during the day with the kids, but the pace is hectic since my 2-year-old wants to walk (much more slowly than I want to, of course, because her little feet can't carry her so fast), and my 4-year-old wants to run everywhere. It's fun as family playtime and encourages them to exercise as well (stressful to watch both kids, though), but it's not an effective workout for me. I'll keep doing it as long as my kids are willing to go outside. (The colder and rainier it gets, the less they want to go outside.) I must find activities to do indoors, and I refuse to pay for a gym membership or drive to the mall.
The problem will be getting motivated to do indoor activities. I have various workout videos. I have a bike trainer for riding my bike indoors (I just have to get a new tire since off-road tires create an annoying sound on the trainer). I have a step bench, a jump rope, and music to dance to. I did it last winter; I can do it again. I just have to do it. Once I get going, I'll have to keep going.
When I walk outdoors, I don't think about how I need to do the dishes, and nobody interrupts me with whining or fighting. I just walk. Indoors I get distracted. I see things that need to be done. I stop to take care of the kids and answer the phone. I think about ideas I want to write down.
Excuses. Excuses. I just need to shut up and exercise. I need to stop whining! So here's what I'm going to do...
I'm going to wake up, eat breakfast, do my morning routine, pop in a work out video or do some sort of workout while I'm watching my favorite television shows, do my strength training exercises, stretch out, and go straight into the rest of tasks for the day. Perhaps I'll just have to accept that I need a summer routine and a winter routine, and now it's time for my winter routine to begin.
The hardest part will be getting the kids to understand that Mommy needs to exercise, and Mommy will only respond to emergencies while exercising. If they fight or act up in other undesirable ways to force me to give them attention, they're going to time-out. Of course, they're always welcomed to join me in exercising.
I'm also going to visit some family in December. I want to be 160 lbs. for my trip (or at least something close to 160) because I want to show off my progress (I was between 200 and 210 the last time I saw them). That's about 8 weeks from now, which means I would have to lose 2 lbs. per week. I don't think I'll be able to do that. I know I can lose 1 lb. per week, but 2? I guess realistically I should aim for the upper 160's. That can be the official goal of the year. Get to 160 by the end of the year. Start 2007 half way to my goal (160 is my half-way mark on my weight loss journey). That would be an average weight loss of a little over 1/2 a lb. per week for the entire year. Then next year, I could focus on continuing to lose 1/2 lb per week rather than focusing on the giant goal.
16 October 2006
Weight: 175 (lost 25 lbs.)
BMI: 32.01
At least I'm starting to lose weight again, but I'm annoyed that I'm at 175 instead of 174 or 173. I know it's just a number. It's not even that far off from where I expected to be, but it's a symbol of defeat.
Exercising indoors just doesn't seem very appealing to me now that I'm in the habit of doing it outdoors. I keep looking around at all the other things that need to get done in the house. Exercising outdoors was a way for me to get away from everything for awhile and be in my own little world. If I get bored during the indoor workout, it's just too easy to go do something else. If I decided that I was bored half way through outdoors, I had no choice but to continue walking if I wanted to go home. I'm just having a very hard time staying motivated.
I think jumping up to 176 has had a negative impact on my motivation. I know it shouldn't. I just don't understand why I jumped back up to 176. I was doing so well. I was exercising daily. I was watching my portion sizes. I was following the rules, and I jumped back up. Well at least I'm down to 175 again. A month ago I was thrilled to hit 175. I'm trying to remind myself of that feeling of accomplishment rather than defeat.
23 October 2006
Weight: 177 (lost 23 lbs.)
BMI: 32.37
I really debated even getting on the scale today.
Honestly, I'm surprised that I didn't hit 178. I completely lost my motivation during this last week. I ate lots of foods I shouldn't have. I barely exercised. I didn't monitor my portion sizes, and I ate even when I wasn't hungry. I would lie to myself and say, "This is a single serving," when in reality it was more like three servings. It's surprising how much I lie to myself about how much I eat. It's such irony how my problem is that I have too much to eat and not enough physical labor to do while people in other parts of the world are starving to death and laboring until they pass out from exhaustion.
This morning I woke up early and went for a 25 minute walk. It's all I could do between the sunrise and when my husband had to leave for work. I had forgotten how nice it was to walk in the crisp morning air and watch all the kids leaving for school. At least it gave me a chance to get some time to myself outdoors, time to think about why I'm trying to burn off all this excess fat.
- Stay healthy (e.g. avoid diabetes, avoid heart disease, avoiding cancer, avoiding gall stones, avoid joint stress, etc.) to avoid early death and long-term discomfort
- Have strength and endurance to do the things I want to do and the things I need to due, such as for emergencies
- Look good, so I can be proud of myself, so my husband can be proud of his wife, and so my kids don't get picked on for having a fat mom
Today's jump up on the scale has helped me realize that I need to renew my commitment to winning the war against obesity. Whenever I put my guard down, obesity wins the battle of the week. I need to stay on top of it all the time if I want to get down to a healthy weight. I've spent the summer just maintaining the loss I had already accomplished. Now, I need to fight off another 20 lbs. rather than just hold off weight gain. So, I'm making a plan, I'm writing it down, and I'm sticking it in a place that I'll frequently view. I'm following my diet menu again. I'm going to walk as much as I can every day (5 minutes to 60 minutes). I'm going to work on strength training and circuit training every day. I'm going to do yoga every day. I'm going to put more energy into cleaning the house, working in the yard, and working on projects. I'm going to take time every day to sit down and remind myself why I want to exercise, watch my diet, and lose weight. I'm not going to sit back and wait for the pounds to creep back on.
30 October 2006
Weight: 175 (lost 25 lbs.)
BMI: 32.01
Back down to 175. That makes me feel a bit better. I still need to get down to 170. I want to hit 170 by the end of November.
I've been trying to get more exercise into my day. I'm slowly finding ways to get it into my day. I think habit has been a big thing for me. I was in the habit of walking immediately after dinner. Now, after dinner, I'm in the house, and things are just too chaotic at that time to do a workout indoors. I've been getting out for a walk in the morning here and there. I'm starting to do some workout videos here and there, and I'm taking time to do more weight lifting, yoga, and pilates without the need for video instruction.
I'm really paying attention to portion sizes. It always surprises me how much I want to eat just out of habit. I keep telling myself that I need to focus on eating for nutrition and enjoying what I'm eating rather than eating for enjoyment. Halloween is going to be hard with all that candy, but I feel confident that I'll survive without too much indulgence.
...by Feed